Newborn Gas
Newborn Gas - Causes And Treatment
In most cases newborn gas is either not a problem or only an occasional one. A baby can get gas from swallowing air, drinking to rapidly, or several other reasons, but most of the time the gas is naturally and quickly pushed through the digestive system.
A newborn baby's digestive tract is still not fully developed, at least in terms of functioning as we might expect it to, and some babies have further to develop in this area than others. For grownups, the muscles used in moving material through the digestive system are fully developed and move things through in a fairly rhythmic manner. This isn't the case with newborns. The muscles haven't fully developed, and newborn gas issues sometimes arise because of this. In addition, the bacterial flora that we all depend upon to efficiently aid in digestion, takes time to become established. The newborn baby cannot digest food as easily as the rest of us, which is why we rely initially on mother's milk and then easily digestible baby formula, long before advancing to solid foods.
In spite of our best efforts, newborn gas can still present a problem at times. Gas pockets may become trapped in the baby's intestines, leading to bloating and pain or at least discomfort. The baby may fuss, and if the problem is bad enough it will tell us so in the only language it has at hand, crying.
Burping And Massaging - Most of the time we prevent a problem from occurring in the first place by burping the baby after each meal. Burping allows any gas trapped in the stomach to pass up through the throat and out the mouth, instead of being moved into the intestines, where it can cause discomfort. Some gas will often go south anyway, and for that reason, gently massaging the baby's tummy, in addition to burping it, will normally be effective.
Too Much Commotion - Besides the normal swallowing of air that all newborns do, newborn gas can also be a result of the baby becoming over-stimulated. While all babies like attention, there is such a thing as too much of it. That, and a noisy environment, can cause an overload of sorts in a baby. Just as too much noise, commotion, or stress can give us an upset stomach at times, the same thing can happen to the baby, only much easier. A baby that feels peaceful and secure is much less apt to suffer the effects of newborn gas than a baby who finds himself or herself in the midst of a highly active, busy, or noisy environment. Babies crave the same amount of rest and relaxation as we all would like to have at times.
Take Care With Conventional Remedies - An area one needs to be careful in is that of giving a baby the same medications adults use for an upset stomach, such as bicarbonate of soda. Compounds which are generally safe for an adult can at times have unpredictable side effects in an infant, so should be used only on the advice of a pediatrician. This is information that would be best gathered before the baby is even born. Knowing what to do ahead of time can save some anxious moments when a case of newborn gas is resulting in fussing and crying.
In summary, newborn gas is something that most babies will experience on occasion and some will have more problems with it than others. Burping and massaging the baby are among the best preventive measures. A breast feeding mother may also need to look into her own diet as certain foods may make the mother's milk more apt to give a baby gas. The best preventive action may well be one of learning all one can from a pediatrician before the baby arrives on the scene.